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Can Huckabee Blend Social Conservatism with Populism Lite?
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
[The talking heads describe New Hamp****re as a stoutly secular state,
no matter what else it is. In NH, Independents can vote in EITHER the
Democratic or Republican primary on Tuesday, adding yet another element
of unpredictability to the race. Huckabee may well turn out to
have flamed and died in a fluke Iowa victory where the evangelical
crazies turned out in huge numbers.
However, The GOP establishment can't stand Huckabee, who shares with
Ron Paul aa profoundly anti-cor****ate attitude. But they don't like
any of their next-likely choices much either. McCain is described as an
unpredictable "maverick," Giuliani has lots of drawbacks for "social
conservatives." etc. Thus, there's been a lot of talk about the Other
Mr. Mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, possibly entering the race.
Bloomberg, like Giuliani, is not a social reactionary but he's not so
well known, and so far, few scandals and skeletons have been exposed.
He's also rich enough to jump-start a campaign even now, when the
race has been underway for an obscenely long time already. The Big
Money GOP crowd would be able to comfortably play ball with Bloomberg.
Of course he's also Jewish -- it shouldn't matter a whit, but who knows
how that will play in a presidential election climate that seems
terminally infected with religious concerns. He's a secular Jew who
has made the proper obeisances to Israel, required in New York City
and that will also secure him sup****t among the really weird Christian
fundie Zionists. How it will play with non-Zionist Christian fundies
and other socially conservative Repubs is another question.
they might actually pay attention to his views on abortion, ***ual
orientation, etc. And of course the right-wing anti-Semitic conspiracy
crazies and other bigots will oppose him fiercely. -NY Transfer]
Talk2Action - Jan 4, 2008
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/1/4/144236/0317
Can Huckabee-the-Viable Blend Social Conservatism with Populism Lite?
Far right Dubs Huckabee the `Big Government' candidate
By Bill Berkowitz
Owing to his convincing victory in the Iowa Republican Party caucuses,
former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has become "viable." Over the
next few weeks expect the mainstream media to both welcome the
folksy/friendly Huckabee with open arms, and slice and dice his record
and past statements.
Huckabee's victory was largely attributed to the sup****t he garnered
from a brigade of conservative evangelical Christians. According to The
Nation's John Nichols, "A CNN survey of Republican caucusgoers Thursday
found that six in 10 identified themselves as 'born-again' Christians.
Huckabee won the sup****t of 46 percent of them, while just 19 percent
backed [former Massachusetts governor Mitt] Romney."
To his credit, Huckabee was successful despite suffering from a
shortage of resources; Romney, who finished a disappointing second,
outspent Huckabee by a 15-1 margin.
In their post-Iowa wrap-ups, mainstream media pundits recognized both
Huckabee's popularity amongst conservative evangelicals, and his
populist appeal.
Now it's Huckabee's turn in the spotlight. If you think the hubbub
regarding his recent comment about Pakistanis being a threat to
America's border security and his blatant use of a well-lit cross in
his pre-Christmas campaign television advertisement, or his past
comments about quarantining AIDS sufferers, was grist for the mill,
imagine what might be coming down the pike.
As he moves on from Iowa, will Huckabee be able to blend a toned-down
social conservatism with a populism-lite?
'A candidate with a lot of liberal views' says the Media Research
Council
A People for the American Way e-mail dated January 4, maintained that
"Huckabee has pledged to sup****t every item on the Radical Right's wish
list: a constitutional ban on abortion, a veto of legislation to
protect gay and lesbian Americans from discrimination, sup****t for a
bill to keep federal courts from intervening when local officials
violate the separation of church and state, and most im****tantly, a
far-right Supreme Court."
So why are many on the far right hating on Huckabee? It's not like he's
the second coming of John Edwards!
Some of Huckabee's right-wing critics may have righteous political
disagreements with him, while others may be concerned that should he
snare the nomination, he could not only lose the general elecftion, but
bring down a slew of GOP candidates as well.
A post-election re****t from L. Brent Bozell's Media Research Center
characterized Huckabee as "a candidate with a lot of liberal views."
Ann Coulter slapped Huckabee around a few weeks back for being soft on
just about everything from taxes to immigration to the criminal justice
system.
Baldwin's complaint
Huckabee is "a global government elitist [who] wraps his Big Government
ambitions around the Cross of Jesus Christ?" Chuck Baldwin declared in
a column dated January 4, 2008.
Baldwin, the pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida,
the former State Chairman of the Florida Moral Majority, vice
presidential running mate of the Constitution Party's Michael Peroutka
in 2004, a radio talk show host and syndicated columnist is one of the
former Arkansas governor's most persistent critics.
In his January 4, column titled "We Desperately Need the `Confessing
Church'," Baldwin maintains that "Issues such as trade, climate
control, health and education--and even war--are the tools globalists
use to construct their One World Order":
"Have you wondered why Mike Huckabee is suddenly getting so much
favorable attention from the mainstream media (who themselves are
controlled by this gaggle of global elite)? To find the answer as to
why a professing pro-life, conservative Christian would suddenly become
the darling of the media, look no further than the fact that just a
couple of months ago, Mr. Huckabee appeared before the globalist-minded
Council on Foreign Relations. And when he did, it became abundantly
clear that Huckabee was a man globalists could trust.
"By the way, as you read Huckabee's speech, you will find that he
is George W. Bush on steroids! This is a man who intends to meddle in
the affairs of nations around the world like you can't believe. Talk
about entangling alliances: Huckabee intends for our State, Energy,
Housing, Education, Justice, Treasury, and Trans****tation departments
to spend untold billions of tax dollars on just about anything and
everything, including schools, medical facilities, roads, sewage
treatment, water filtration, electricity, and legal and banking systems
in countries all over the globe. And that is exactly the kind of man
the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) wants in Wa****ngton."
Baldwin pointed out that Huckabee has named Richard Haass, President of
the CFR "as his advisor on foreign policy." According to Baldwin, Haass
"believes that the United States (and every other country) must
surrender its sovereignty to international or global entities." Baldwin
cites a February 21, 2006, Haass column for the Taipei Times entitled,
"State Sovereignty Must be Altered in Globalized Era," which "is
nothing more than an explicit solicitation for global government."
While Baldwin claims he has no interest in heading up the Constitution
Party's ticket this year, but he has said that he "is always open to
God's will." In a column dated August 30, 2007, entitled "Conservative
Republicans have only one choice," Baldwin basically endorsed Ron
Paul's candidacy:
"Let's cut to the chase: conservative Republicans have only one
choice for President in 2008: Congressman Ron Paul of Texas. Unlike the
GOP frontrunners, Paul is the real deal."
In mid-December he released a video endorsement of Paul.
On to New Hamp****re
According to The Nation's John Nichols:
Huckabee arrived in New Hamp****re Friday morning with new
literature that drops the religious references used in Iowa and plans
for a television advertising campaign that will eschew the crosses and
fish that meant so much to his Iowa base.
Huckabee is nothing if not consistent. Sure, he losing the
religious trappings that served him well in Iowa, but he's remaining
every bit the crassly calculating and cynically manipulative politician
that he has proven himself to be from the start of this campaign.
As the campaign rolls along, will Huckabee -- favored by more
conservative Christian evangelical leaders than all the others combined
- -- continue to proclaim to be the most authentic Christian in the
field, or will he soften his Christian image? Will he continue to talk
about being a fighter for regular folks; a plain-speaking populist with
compassion for the least among us or will he harden his position as he
has done on such issues as immigration?
Stay tuned.
*
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